Iraqi Cuisine at its Familial Best

Kabab Erbil Iraqi serves up some deeply satisfying, wholesome food at affordable prices

The first thing you notice when you enter Kabab Erbil is the immaculate tiled mosaics on the far walls and the stonework along the staircase columns. It's rustic and tasteful and adds a sense of vibrancy to the already bustling dining room. The friendly staff is all too happy to show us to our table in the upstairs dining area and my dinner date and I gladly follow. There is even more stone and tile work here, accompanied by beautiful pictures of Erbil and greater Iraq, depicting scenes of life in the once magnificent historical and cultural capitals of the world.

Traditional and rustic decor
As a thriving centre of cultural and intellectual exchange spanning centuries, Iraq is also famous for having one of the oldest surviving cuisines in the region, which Kabab Erbil strives to preserve. It's a family-run business and has stayed that way since it opened more than a decade ago in Dubai, serving traditional Iraqi food and even cooking in many traditional ways.
Beautiful mosaic and tile work on the walls
Before we can even look at the menu, we are served a traditional lentil soup, which is the perfect setup for all the comforting food you're about to devour. For starters, we decide to get the mixed appetiser plate, which comes in three different sizes - family, large and medium - and comes with tabbouleh, hummus, moutabel and a saucy eggplant salad. Of course, since they have a wonderful brick oven, freshly baked bread is never in short supply. The samoon (a pointy flatbread eaten widely throughout Iraq) is fluffy, airy and the perfect vehicle to scoop up generous amounts of hummus and moutabel. The tabbouleh is a tad on the acidic side, but I like sour flavours, so no complaints. The hummus is much more mellow than, say, a Lebanese version, with much less lemon. The moutabel is our favourite - smoky and perfectly balanced (read: more eggplant, less yoghurt) - while the eggplant salad is a close second, quite similar to an eggplant melanzane. 
Kabab Erbil Al Iraqi grilled meat
It's perhaps wise to warn you now that there is a lot of food. This is not the place you come alone or with a friend, especially without an appetite. Kabab Erbil is a place that is best enjoyed with a party of four or more, giving you the added bonus of being able to try more stuff on the menu. For example, we are fascinated by the masgouf, what many consider the national dish of Iraq, cooking downstairs around a fire pit. In case you haven't seen it, we'd recommend stopping and taking a look at the circle of carps neatly split down the middle and splayed on stakes around a fire. We don't eat that. We are too knocked out by our other mains - the Kabab Erbil Al Iraqi grilled meat and the Lamb with Okra Tashreeb. 
 Warm, freshly baked samoon 
The region of Erbil is famous for its kebabs and in the toss up between the two house specialties, masgouf and the kebabs, the latter wins. The meat is barely spiced, but is still quite fragrant and piquant, with hints of pepper and bits of parsley. Definitely worth trying. The lamb is a step above - stewed to perfection, like comfort food should be. It's served with rice and baby okras in an absolutely delicious and tangy tomato soup. 
 Masgouf, what many consider to be Iraq's national dish
We are way too full to try desserts, despite contemplating ordering a sampler. Instead, we got the Special Erbil Cocktail, one of the best fruit cocktails this side of Dubai. There's kiwis, strawberries, avocados, mangoes and bananas, in layers, in that order - all fresh. It even looks fantastic. Try not to swirl this technicolour wonder, but drink it one fruity layer at a time. 
The service, although warm and very familial, is not very professional - we have to ask for plates and cutlery, perhaps because big parties don't usually bother with them. The menu is a collection of the bests of Iraq - instead of a novel encompassing different Middle Eastern offerings - and that's something we appreciate. The portions are, conversely, huge and enough to feed several people. And the prices are very affordable, making Kabab Erbil Iraqi a great place to get a real taste of Iraqi cuisine.

Our rating: 4/5
What we liked: The salads, the meats and the special cocktail
What we didn't like: The service could be better
Cost for two: Dh200 
Contact: Opposite ADCB,Al Rigga Street, Al Rigga, Dubai; Tel: 04 2691722
rohit@khaleejtimes.com

• Food and Dining